World Boxing Council President Jose Sulaiman, the WBC Board of Governors, and the Federation of Boxing Commissions of Mexico (FECOMBOX) have unanimously agreed not to authorize Mexican boxers to leave the country to fight professionally in Arizona due to “the shameful, inhumane, and discriminatory anti-immigration law, which is no other thing than a flagrant violation to the basic principles of dignity and equality between races.” A WBC statement likened the new Arizona law cracking down on illegal immigration to apartheid in South Africa noting that great figures of boxing have fought in Arizona including Julio Cesar Chavez, Salvador Sanchez, Konstantin Tszyu, and “Coloradito” Lopez and that the WBC will not expose boxers “to suffer that degrading act, humiliating and inhumane, as racial discrimination is.” The prohibition will come into effect on May 1st, 2010, respecting retroactive contracts. The WBC also notes that they are certain that the Arizona State Boxing Commission will understand that this is “an action against politicians who do not have a just mind and do not respect human equality.”

THE WBC DISQUALIFIES ARIZONA

Jose Sulaiman, World Boxing Council President, the WBC Board of Governors, and the Federation of Boxing Commissions of Mexico (FECOMBOX) unanimously agreed that they will not authorize Mexican boxers to leave the country to fight professionally in Arizona, United States, due to the shameful, inhumane, and discriminatory anti-immigration law, which is no other thing than a flagrant violation to the basic principles of dignity and equality between races.

The WBC fully devoted itself to fight against Apartheid in South Africa for 19 long years, until Nelson Mandela, who was in prison for about 27 years, was released to later become the President of such country.

Great figures of boxing have fought in Arizona, boxers such as Julio Cesar Chavez, Salvador Sanchez, Konstantin Tszyu, “Coloradito” Lopez and many, many others, even Mexican preliminary fighters, and the WBC will not allow that in boxing, athletes are exposed to suffer that degrading act, humiliating and inhumane, as racial discrimination is.

This prohibition will come into effect on May 1st, 2010, respecting retroactive contracts; we are certain that the Arizona State Boxing Commission, amicable and always in mutual cooperation with us, will understand that this is an action against politicians who do not have a just mind and do not respect human equality.